Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday announced indoor restaurants will be able to reopen next Friday, the same day the state enters Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Phase 4 of reopening.
Restaurants, bars, breweries and other eating and drinking establishments can open on June 26, “to align with the state’s plan to move to Phase 4 on the same day,” the mayor in a release.
That’s five days earlier than city officials had earlier suggested.
But the restaurants will only be allowed to open with 25% capacity, with a maximum of 50 people per room or floor. Customers must also be seated at tables 6 feet apart with 10 people or fewer per table. And seating at bars will be limited to a maximum of two hours per party.
The state plans to reveal its safety guidance for indoor restaurants next week. Last week, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said she anticipated indoor restaurants, museums and gyms could reopen on July 1.
The city entered Phase 3 on June 3, about five days after the rest of the state reopened its doors to retail stores, salons and outdoor restaurants. Bars and breweries opened on June 17 for outdoor service only.
Lightfoot has repeatedly said she could not come to an agreement with Pritzker about indoor dining and noted the financial difficulties the industry is facing. But Pritzker’s plan always allowed indoor restaurants to reopen June 26.
Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh on Thursday said the governor was working with the restaurant industry to reopen indoor dining.
“Right now, every region in the state is on track to move to phase four on June 26, in just about one week,” Abudayyeh said. “Indoor dining will open across the state with capacity limits and public health guidelines at that time. The City of Chicago would therefore be able to open indoor dining on June 26.”
On Friday, the governor’s office said they “are pleased to see that the Mayor has aligned the timing of the city’s plan with the state’s plan, allowing restaurants in Chicago to open indoor dining a week from today.”
According to an email obtained by the Sun-Times, the Illinois Restaurant Association has been pushing for 50% occupancy for indoor restaurants, and the state’s safety guidance is likely to include that rate. That would also include gatherings of less than 50 people with social distancing and other safety provisions.
Despite indoor restaurants reopening, Lightfoot said in the release that restaurant operators “should continue to make outdoor seating a priority for safe dining and drinking.”
